


i like the effect that you had on my eyes

by c19



Category: Anne of Green Gables - L. M. Montgomery, Anne with an E (TV)
Genre: Dialogue Light, F/M, Fluff, Love Confessions, Post-Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-25 23:40:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21737572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c19/pseuds/c19
Summary: Gilbert visits Anne in Charlottetown and they happily ignore curfew.
Relationships: Gilbert Blythe/Anne Shirley
Comments: 18
Kudos: 274





	i like the effect that you had on my eyes

It had been two months since she last saw him, waving him goodbye as the carriage he was on moved away from her, so much unsaid between them. Since then all follow up questions had been answered in the form of letters, and even though she loved reading those letters, loved feeling the ink beneath her fingers as she read those three words again and again, she longed to hear him say it. She wanted to see him again. And having to chaperone her friends every time their suitors came over didn’t make things easier.

But somehow he was there. Gilbert Blythe stood at the door of her boarding house and Anne Shirley-Cuthbert forgot how to breath. She had imagined their reunion more times than she would care to admit. She had imagined throwing herself into his arms, trying to convey how much she had missed him with a hug. She had imagined kissing him the same way she had done two months prior, propriety be damned. She had not imagined however, standing there in complete shock. 

“Gilbert, you’re... here.” She breathed out. She hadn’t planned on seeing him again until Christmas break, when they would both go to Avonlea and spend a glorious month together, without the interruption of school or other responsibilities. She took a second to really look at him, and her heart softened at the sight, he looked tired, and it made sense. She imagined it took quite to journey to get to Charlottetown from Toronto. She placed her hand on his cheek and he leaned into the touch, and that was it. He closed the space between them and wrapped his arms around her. 

“God, I missed you.” He murmured against her ear and she couldn’t help the smile that overtook her face. "I missed you too. So so much." At that he hugged her tighter.

The door behind them opened wider to reveal Lily, the maid who worked at the boarding house. During the two months that Anne had lived there she had become quite close with the girl, they were both the same age and Anne soon found out that Lily had the same passion for literature she did. They had spent many evenings after lights out together, Anne showing Lily her favourite books and Lily teaching her sign language. But at this exact moment Lily was the last person Anne wanted to see, because Anne knew exactly what Lily came to tell her. Lily pointed at the clock in the entryway and Anne immediately knew what she meant. It was nearing eight o'clock and suitors were only to be seen in the parlour between the hours of two and four. "I'll be inside in a minute, Lil." Lily nodded and went back inside, Anne knew she wouldn't tell Mrs. Blackmore.

"I wish I couldn't invite you inside, but it's too late. Male visitors aren't allowed at this time." Anne said, her heart hurting at having to turn him away. "I know it's late, I tried to get here earlier but the train was delayed. I just had to see you." Gilbert said, reaching for her hands. She happily obliged. "Could you come back tomorrow?" She asked. He shook his head. "I leave in the morning train tomorrow."

As sad as she was to hear that she couldn't spend time with him, she was mostly shocked that he would make such a journey just to see her briefly for one night. "I know this isn't proper, and you can definitely say no, but I was hoping maybe you'd forget about curfew for tonight and take a walk with me, even just a short wa-" She cut off his rambling with a quick peck. "Let me get my coat." She went inside to find Lily waiting for her. Lily quickly moved her hands to convey a message to Anne, 'What are you doing?'. "Please cover for me, I'll tell you all about it in the morning." Anne quickly grabbed her coat and left.

\---

Their short walk had turned into quite a long one, and they had been talking for over two hours. He told her about Toronto, and medical school, and his roommates, all things that she already knew from his letters but it was different to hear him say it. His eyes shone as he excitedly told her about all the new things he was learning, and although a lot of the medical terms went over her head it warmed her heart to see him so happy. She told him about all the new adventures she's had at Queens, including the ones she hadn't dared to tell Marilla when she had visited last weekend. 

"You always seem to find trouble, Carrots." She smiled at his nickname for her, the same one that had filled her with rage all those years ago. They now sat at a bench outside a pub, the streets empty at the late hour. They could hear the bustle of the men inside drinking and could feel the warmth of the fire, but they'd rather be outside together, albeit a bit cold. 

"I do not! Trouble just seems to find me is all." She laughed softly. Anne knew it was time for her to go back to the boarding house, it was already lights out. She knew she shouldn't've left in the first place, but sitting across from the boy she loved, the boy who had somehow become one of her closest friends, her family, she knew she would endure 100 scoldings from the matron if it meant she could have this night.

A silence came between them, one she did not mind at all. She was comfortable enough with him that she knew sometimes nothing needed to be said. She longed to close the space between them and lay her head on his shoulders but even if the streets were empty, they were still outside. And it was scandalous enough for a young lady to be strolling with a man, unchaperoned, at this hour, she didn't need to add embracing to the list of her misbehaviours. 

"You know, there are a lot of things I knew I would miss about Avonlea. Bash and Delly, the orchard, the community... you. But I never thought I'd miss the silence. It's never quiet in Toronto, no matter the time." Gilbert said, pulling her out of her reverie. 

"I know what you mean. I miss the green, the smoke seems to turn everything here black. When I first moved here I found solace in the boarding house's small garden, until I found this little park. I finally felt a could breath there." She gushed, her mind immediately taking her to her favourite place in Charlottetown. She suddenly got the uncontrollable urge to go there. She stood up and grabbed Gilbert's hand. "Follow me." she giggled as she nearly ran to her spot, Gilbert trailed behind her with a matching smile. 

The park looked quite different at night, she supposed it might've seemed scary to anyone else but nature only ever offered comfort to Anne. She led Gilbert to sit by a tree that offered a marvellous view of the pond she aptly christened 'The Pond of Tranquility'. She breathed in the fresh air and thought of her home, her home that was covered by the same moonlight that currently covered her. The moonlight offered her just enough light to see the ducks swimming around.

She moved to sit between Gilbert's legs and when he put his arms around her, she laid her head on his chest. The comfortable intimacy made her think of how her life would look like if she ever married Gilbert. How they would be able to sit like this whenever they wanted and she suddenly craved nothing more than to become Anne Shirley-Cuthbert Blythe. 

"Anne." Gilbert murmured, the moment too peaceful for anything other than hushed tones. She turned to look at him and suddenly understood what Ruby meant when he said his eyes were 'full of romance' and she mentally kicked herself for not noticing his loving gaze before. "I love you." He uttered. And there it was, out in the open. She figured it had been out in the open for quite a while now but it was the first time she had ever heard him say it. And she had found that she didn't feel any different at having heard it, for she already felt so loved by him that saying it out loud became unnecessary. 

Nevertheless, she replied. "I love you too." She thought the moment couldn't be more perfect, but then he kissed her. It wasn't as passionate as their previous kissed had been, and it wasn't as chaste as the peck she had given him earlier. It was tender and filled with longing. Gilbert was the one to finally pull away, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead as she nuzzled herself into his side. 

They weren't sure how much time had passed when they finally disentangled themselves from each other and stood up. They walked back to the boarding house slowly, both of them disheartened at the thought of having to say goodbye. When they got there, she wrapped herself around him for the last time and it took all her strength to pull away. But she did. And she as she carefully climbed up the stairs a smile adorned her face, and it didn't leave her even when she fell asleep.

**Author's Note:**

> so this is my first AnnE fic and im really nervous so please let me know your thoughts and suggestions for improvement. if you wanna scream with me about these two fools hit me up on tumblr @herkindredspirits


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